Latch for elevator-doors.



G. M. PEELLE. LATCH FOR ELEVATOR DOORS.

APPLICATION 11,111) AUG.16. 1911.

1,007,043. 1 Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

wi f neooao 5 wva Mm COLUMBIA PLANOURIAPH 50., WASHINGTON. Dv c.

UNITED sra'rnis PATENT OFFICE.

CALEB M. PEELLE, or BROOKLYN, INEWVYVORK', AssIGNC-R o 'IHE FEELLE Co,or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

LATCH roa nnnvaronrnoons.

Specification bf Letters Patent.

Patented 0a. 24, 1911.

Application filed August 16, 1911. Serial No. 644,273.

To all whom it may concern: 4

Be it known that I, CALEB M. PEE LE, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches forElevator-Doors, of which the following is a Specification.

The invention relates to improvements in latches for elevator-doors usedfor closing the. passageways leading to elevator-shafts, and hasparticular reference to fire-proof sectional doors, arranged in twoparts and connected together and suspended for ver tical movement towardand from each other; and the object of the invention is to provide asafety latch or stop therefor, which, while permitting of the normalopening and closing movements of the doorsections, will, in case ofbreakage of the suspension means thereof by reason of fire or othercauses, operate to maintain the sections in closed relation to preventthe passage of flame.

In describing the invention in detail reference is had to theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and whereinlike characters of reference are used to designate like parts throughoutthe several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a wall of anelevator-shaft, having a doorway therein closed by a sectional-door.

provided with the improved latch embodied in the present invention; Fig.2 is an enlarged detail view of the latch, shown in ele vation, taken atright angles to Fig. 1; and Fig.8 is ground plan of the same, show ingportions of the adjacent parts in section.

Numeral 1 designates the vertical wall of an elevator-shaft, having adoorway 2, adapted to be closed by the two-part door 3 and 4. Upon thewall of the shaft are fixed in the usual manner a pair of mainsupporting angles 5 and 6, upon the upper ends of which are mounted thesheave-wheels 7, carrying the flexible connections 8, one end of eachbeing attached to the upper doorsection 3 for the support thereof, andtheir opposite ends connected by means of the bars 9 to the lowerdoor-section 4. As thus connected together and mounted upon thesheave-wheels, the door sections are arranged in counterbalancedrelation for vertical movement toward and from each other, and upon thedisconnection of the spring catch, 10 they may be readily opened orclosed by an operator. Ifor vertically direc ting thedoor-sections,guide-bars 1 1 are fixed to the main supporting angles 5and 6, and are slidingly engaged by the guideblocks 12, which aresecured at several points upon the side edges of the sections.

The safety-latch comprises a base-plate 13, fixed at a suitable point bybolts or rivets to the main angle 5,, and provided with a fixed pin 14,uponwhich is pivotally mountea the latch-lever 1M5, having at its] u perend a head, preferably consisting of an antifriction-roller 16, carriedby a pin 17-, fixed in bifurcat'ed jaws 18, formed with or fixed to saidlever. Also fixedto the base-plate is a guide loop or hook 19, which notonly acts to prevent lateral movement of the lever 15, but also servesto limit its out-ward or projected movement, which position is normallymaintained by the lever under the influence of gravity by reason of itsshape and arrangement of parts withrespect to its pivotal support 14, tocause an overbalancing effect. The normal outward position of thelatch-lever is further yieldingly maintained by the leaf-spring 20, oneend of which is fixed to the main angle 5, while its opposite or freeend engagesa pin or projection 21, secured to the lever. Intermediate ofits ends, the latch-lever is provided with a projecting stop-lug 22,adapted to engage one of the free ends of' the stop or hanger bar 23,secured to thelower. doorsection 4, and which also serves as connectingmeans for the support thereof. Fixed upon the upper door-sectionadjacent the stopbar 23, of the lower door-section, is an actuating-arm24, the free end of which is suitably shaped and disposed for engagementwith the roller 16, comprising the head of the latch-lever.

Referring to Fig. 2, the latch-lever, as indicated respectively by fulland dotted lines to show the projected and retracted positions thereof,will be readily pushed aside upon the normal opening movement of thedoor-sections, which movement separates the stop-bar 23 and theactuating-arm 24, secured respectively to the lower and upperdoor-sections, and urges the said arm into engagement with the roller 17to retract the latch-lever against the action of gravity and the spring20, and provides a. clearance between said stop-bar and stop-lug 22 topermit of the free opening movement of the door-sections. During theclosing movement of the door, the stop-bar as it moves upward engagesthe beveled shank of the stop-lug to retract the latch-lever, allowingthe latter to spring back into its normal projected position upon thecomplete closing of the door, suflicient clearance only being allowedbetween the bottom edge of the stopbar and the top edge of the stop-lugfor the engagement of the actuating arm and roller. It will thus beobvious that the normal opening and closing movements of thedoorsections will not be arrested by the action of the latch. If,however, by reason of fire or other causes the supporting chains orconnections between the door-sections become broken or disengaged, bothdoor-sections will tend to fall, the latch-lever will remain projected,and the stop-lug on the latter will be engaged by the stop-bar 23 forthe support and maintenance of the door-sections in closed relation.

Vhile I have shown and described a single latch upon one side only ofthe doorway, it will be obvious that in doors of considerable width asecond latch may be applied to the. opposite side thereof and in asimilar manner serve to additionally support the door. It will beevident that upon the breakage of the chain connections of thedoor-sections, the free upper section may be either carried upon thelower section, or, as in common practice, independently thereof uponstops fixed to the main supporting angle.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination of a two-partdoor having its sections connectedtogether and suspended for vertical movement toward and from each other,a latch-lever yieldingly supported adjacent said do0rsections andnormally projected, a stop-bar fixed to the lower section of said doorand adapted to engage said latch-lever in its projected position toarrest the movement of said door, and an actuating-arm fixed to theupper section of said door and adapted to engage and retract said latchlever to permit the movement of the door, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of, a twopa.rt door having its sections connectedtogether and suspended for vertical movement toward and from each other,a latch-lever yieldingly supported adjacent said door-sections andnormally projected, and provided with astop-lug and a head, a stop-barprojecting from the lower section of said door and adapted to engage thestop-lug of said latchlever in its projected position, and anactuating-arm projecting from the upper section of said door andnormally adapted to engage the head of said latch-lever to retract saidstop-lug, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a two-part door having its sections connectedtogether and suspended for vertical movement toward and from each other,a latch-lever pivotally supported at one end adjacent said doorsections,a roller mounted on the opposite end of said lever, av stoplug formed onthe lever intermediate its ends, a stop for limiting the outward orprojecting movement of said lever, a spring for normally projecting thelever in contactwith the stop, a stop-bar fixed to the lower section ofsaid door and adapted to engage the stop-lug on said latchlever in itsprojected position to arrest the movement of said door, and anactuatingarm fixed to the upper section of said door and adapted toengage the roller on said latch-lever for the retraction of the latterto permit the movement of the door.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this15th day of August A. D. 1911.

CALEB M. PEELLE.

Witnesses O. LEON KIESELBAGI-I, TVVM. HAPPELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

